ANP Technologies of Newark, Winner of 2011 Award
	Dr. Ray Yin, founder of ANP

WASHINGTON – Forty-Four small businesses and eight individuals were honored today for the critical role they play in research and development for the government and for their success in driving innovation and creating new jobs.

The Tibbetts Awards, given by the U.S. Small Business Administration, honor outstanding small businesses and individuals who participate in the SBA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. Eight past participants in SBIR who represent the very best of the 30-year SBIR program were named to the Inaugural SBIR Hall of Fame class.

“Winning the future requires redoubling our commitment to supporting innovative entrepreneurs like those we honor with Tibbetts Awards,” said Karen Mills, SBA administrator. “In particular, our eight Hall of Famers started small, but their growth has powered our economy for years. Their stories illustrate the promise of the new generation of innovative entrepreneurs and remind us all how central the success of one high growth small business can be to our competitiveness as a nation.”

Among the awardees was ANP Technologies Inc. of Newark, Delaware. “This award represents the culmination of an effort we began in 2004 when we submitted our first Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) proposal,” said ANP Technologies’ Chief Business Officer, Tom Bodnar. “We won both Phase I and Phase II of this SBIR contract, as well a subsequent Phase III full-rate production contract.  This effort has become a cornerstone of our business development.”

ANP Technologies’ Tibbetts Award recognizes the company’s work meeting the Department of Defense’s (DoD) never-ending demand for rapid, light-weight, sensitive, and accurate biological agent detection systems.  Its technology is currently fielded by various DoD branches and is used as one of the nation’s first lines of defense.

“As a research and development company, participating in the SBIR Program is essential to our ability to be creative in developing technological breakthroughs,” continued Bodnar. “Today, thanks to our SBIR success, we are able to accelerate the DoD product development cycle, which often takes more than 10 years, and cut that in half.  Although originally designed for military use, the same technology has also found commercial applications including medical diagnostics and biological drug development.”

 Dr. Ray Yin, ANP’s founder and chief technology officer, accepted the award at a ceremony this morning in Washington, D.C. Afterwards, he met with SBA Administrator Karen Mills and attended a reception at the White House.

“This is a proud day not only for ANP Technologies but also for Delaware’s small businesses,” said Jayne Armstrong, district director of SBA’s Delaware District Office. “Companies like ANP represent the best in American ingenuity and are the driving force behind our economic recovery.”

Founded in 2002, Newark,-based ANP Technologies is the world leader in developing and commercializing various nanobiotechnology-based platforms for applications related to biodefense, biologic drug development and testing, medical diagnostics, and therapeutic drug delivery.

The Tibbetts Awards, named after Roland Tibbetts, who was instrumental in developing the SBIR program, are presented to companies and individuals from all over the United States who are beacons of promise and models of excellence in high technology.

Tibbetts Award winners are selected based on the economic impact of their technological innovation, and on whether they have met federal research and development needs, encouraged diverse participation in technological innovation, and increased the commercialization of federal research.

The SBA’s Small Business Innovation Research program accounted for approximately $2.5 billion in federal research and development funds in FY 2010 and is coordinated by the SBA in cooperation with 11 federal agencies.

For more information about SBIR and a full list of awardees, please visit SBA’s web site at http://www.sba.gov/content/small-business-innovation-research-program-sbir-0